Public-Private Dispute on Aid in Missouri

The Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education is declining to get involved in a dispute between public and private colleges over the state's student aid program, The Kansas City Star reported. The current system allows students at private colleges, which generally have higher tuition rates, to receive a maximum of $4,600, more than twice the maximum grant to students at public institutions. As a result, more aid goes to private than public institutions. Some public university leaders are backing legislation that would set a maximum grant level for all four-year institutions, public or private.